Ever notice how guys offer to carry our heavy stuff and their own? I thought it was chivalry. Turns out it’s weight distribution. So it is with baby slings. You want to find a model that is lightweight, but all infant carriers are not equal in their equal distribution of baby’s weight.
Pound for pound, all soft-framed carriers, slings, and wraps are – themselves – very light. Soft-framed carriers are on the heavy end because of their padding and weigh up to 4 pounds. Slings and wraps are as heavy as the fabric they’re made of, weighing a typical 1-2 pounds.
The real test for one of these carriers is how light they make your baby feel when you’re wearing him. You can find a carrier that’s lightweight and comfortable to wear, one that minimizes potential back and shoulder strain. There are three questions to ask yourself when trying on a sling or carrier.
Does the Baby Carrier Affect My Posture?
Hard to know if you buy one before your baby arrives. Try on carriers with your baby when she’s alert and playful. Before putting one on, make a mental note of your natural posture:
- Are your shoulders rounded, squared, or pulled back?
- Is your spine fairly neutral? (Chest isn’t pushed up/out, butt isn’t being pushed out, creating an overly curved vertebral column)
- Do you bear your weight fairly equally on both feet?
Now put on the carrier and snuggle baby in it. Since you just became deliberately aware of shoulders, posture, and weight-bearing, go through this same checklist again. If the carrier you’re trying on changes any of the above answers, it affects your natural posture and will cause soreness and potentially even injuries when worn over time. In other words, think carefully before buying it.
That said, some carriers – by design – affect your posture. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Lumbar support is a hallmark of well-made soft framed carriers, like the BabyBjorn and the Infantino Extended Wear Carrier, preventing potential lower back strain. By rotating the shoulders a bit back and down, the padded shoulder straps add a posture-improving effect reported by many wearers.
Another posture effect? Slings and hip carriers do not situate baby close to your center of gravity. Trying one on, you’ll quickly realize that whichever side you baby’s head is on, that hip is probably jutting out to the side and that leg is bearing more than half your weigh. Switching off which shoulder bears the sling can help.
Does the Carrier Evenly Distribute My Infant’s Weight?
Back to your center of gravity. The greater the distance a carrier puts between you and your baby, the more it will throw off your center of gravity. Doesn’t sound particularly comfy for either of you, does it? That’s why hard-framed baby backpack carriers made for hiking, like those made by Kelty, have designed their lightweight aluminum frames to off-set this gravity shift.
If the baby carrier you try on does not evenly distribute your baby’s weight, it will be a menace to your posture, perhaps not over night, but definitely over time. The soft cloth of slings can have you leaning forward with no vertebral support to offset this. Wraps, however, made of the same stuff, nestle your baby closer to you than a sling can. The Moby Wrap pulls baby into your center of gravity. It doesn’t provide the padded lumbar support of soft-framed carriers. But it’s flexible, allowing you to wrap it around your back in a criss-cross that does provide some back support.
Does the Carrier Seem to Disappear?
Okay. Posture? Check. Even weight-distribution? Check. Baby? Ch… Wait, what baby? Carriers can make carrying your baby’s weight feel effortless, while not at all encumbering your natural movement. The right carrier for you should do both.
We’ve covered effects on posture and importance of weight distribution. These are the two big ticket items in making the carrier and the baby’s weight seem “barely there.”
The last item to consider is the straps. Where are they resting on you? Does one particular model dig into your shoulders? Does the seam of a certain sling leave red marks on your shoulder after five minutes of wear? Even a harness or closure in the wrong place can make a carrier the wrong one for you.
Bottom line: Try on many different infant carriers. Do they change your posture? How does each carrier affect your center of gravity? How much do you notice the carrier while you’re wearing it? Ask yourself these questions and pace the aisles of the store wearing different designs until you find ‘it.’
